TWO late tries by Steve Hanley provided a thrilling climax to an epic 29-21 top-of-the-table contest between Sale Sharks and London Irish.

The winger's brace was aptly timed, not just for Sharks who were trailing the Exiles by a point at the Madejski Stadium, but for the player himself who is still locked in contract negotiations with the Edgeley Park outfit.

Hanley's current contract expires at the end of the season but the 26-year-old player has yet to agree an extension deal with the league leaders, who he joined in 1997.

Both parties say they are keen to strike a new deal and a decision is expected in the next week so there was no better time for the two crucial tries.

Sharks' director of rugby, Philippe Saint-Andre, said: "It was a typical game for Steve Hanley he dropped one easy ball then in the last ten minutes he scored some unbelievable tries, we saw all of Steve in 80 minutes.

"He worked hard, he's improved his defence a lot but we still need to improve his weaknesses."

Returning England international Charlie Hodgson deserves the bulk of the plaudits. His accurate boot snatched the lead back for Sale twice in the first half despite a trio of tries by the home side.

Sailosi Tagicakibau and Delon Armitage both scored legitimate touchdowns while flyhalf Riki Flutey was lucky to be awarded a try - video replays show the ball was not grounded, prevented by the boot of Sale's scrumhalf Richard Wigglesworth.

It was to be Flutey's only luck of the match - he squandered nine points before the interval, missing three conversions and a penalty, while his second-half fumble allowed Hodgson to launch a try-scoring attack.

Flutey's missed kicks meant Sharks went into the interval just three points adrift of the Exiles, allowing Sharks to regain the lead soon after the restart.

The lead changed hands for the sixth time in the thrilling game when Mike Catt assumed kicking duties and posted two penalties for Irish.

But man-of-the-match Hodgson led Sharks' fight-back. Operating with a rejigged back three, after Jason Robinson and Mark Cueto were both forced out of the game by injury, Hodgson turned a loose ball into an attacking opportunity - Hanley racing along the wing to score his first try.

He increased Sharks' narrow three-point lead with a replica try, this time accelerating past two Irish defenders, who were made to rue his trademark pace.

The return of the internationals may have averted a third consecutive defeat for Sale in the league, but, with the exception of Hodgson, the match demonstrated it was a tired, out of sorts bunch that had been sent back to the Edgeley Park fold.

The pressure of international duty and club commitments takes its toll, according to Saint-Andre.

He said: "It's difficult for players in three weeks to be focused on the Six Nations, a tough league game and the next week on the Heineken Cup - it's not easy. We only managed one training session with all of the squad before this game."